How to win friends!

Here's another fast sweet treat – it's a chuck it all in one pan with minimal prep. This is perfect for a slob out weekend afternoon catching up on the latest download – I think it used to be called a duvet day.

The beauty of this recipe is it makes loads, so plenty for everyone – it makes two tray bakes full. The only pieces of kit required are a large saucepan and the trays – standard size – 30x7cms approx and an empty wine bottle (aka rolling pin).

If you don't want the volume then halve the recipe – really?

Popchoc

125g unsalted butter

300g chocolate – 150g dark, as good a

quality as you can afford, 150g milk

3x15ml tbsps golden syrup

200g Hobnobs

150g mini marshmallows

200g toffee popcorn

Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a saucepan. Put the biscuits in a strong food bag, secure the top of the bag and crush – a rolling pin works but an empty wine bottle will do the job just as well! You want texture with the crumbs so don't be too heavy handed.

Add the biscuits to the melted mixture – let the mixture cool for a minute or two, then add the marshmallows and the popcorn – mix well and tip into the trays. Fridge it for at least a couple of hours, longer if possible – it will not deteriorate!

Cut into pieces to suit – consume!

Here it is – in the pan, then the tray, then ready to roll!

Hope it's popular!

Back to the practical!

This recipe uses the same principle and marinade as the pulled chicken. When it's slow cooked it doesn't look particularly inviting – however brisket cooked this way holds its form and so can be sliced very thinly and immersed in the marinade.

It takes minutes to prep :

Slow cooked brisket

1 flat piece of brisket – size to suit your needs – cut it in half

if it's too large for the slow cooker

2 tbsp Worcester sauce

½ tsp chilli

pinch of cayenne

250ml tomato ketchup

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsps lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed or 1 tsp garlic paste

125ml maple syrup

Place the brisket in a slow cooker – low setting. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix, by hand, until well blended.

Pour over the brisket and cook for 6 hours. Lift out the brisket and slice thinly, cover with the sauce. Serve immediately or is just as good cold.

Here's what it looks like served on a bed of rice :

I don't expect that the impoverished student will be able to afford a piece of brisket but, if your idea is to supplement from home you have two options – cook it and freeze it in portions, ready for delivery or, if you want to encourage the DIY student cooking approach then you could take the brisket when you visit along with the ingredients for the marinade.

Speaking of freezing – the bowl pictured was frozen and defrosted, so I can assure you it works well. I would recommend that if you are freezing portions then it's best to freeze before slicing but in reality it probably won't last long enough!

What to serve with the brisket?

Check out the Stromboli recipe – use the sliced brisket as an alternative topping. If speed is required then cheat big style and top a shop bought pizza base, spread with tomato paste, add a generous layer of sliced brisket, drizzle with the marinade and top with mozzarella.

It would be really good in a wrap with whatever bits and pieces are in the fridge – students please note - check use-by dates! One staple I have in my own store cupboard is a jar of sliced black olives. I appreciate they aren't everyone's bag but they are versatile and tasty, don't take up space – remember though that the student will need to “fridge” once opened.

Finally, what a sandwich it would make – complete with a drizzle of the marinade!

When the dosh runs out …

… a treat from home

Far be it from me to be a kill joy or a spoilsport if you prefer – it's not all about boring sustenance – there has to be a sweet treat – it's good for the soul – not so much the waistline but hey a little indulgence every now and again doesn't hurt.

The following recipe could be made easily by the student, but, if you are planning a food drop it's really quick to make – you'll be very popular!

I've made this fudge recently and it disappears without trace.

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

350g dark chocolate, chopped

(as good a cocoa solid as you can afford -

ideally minimum 70%)
1x397g can of condensed milk

30g unsalted butter

pinch of salt

150g pistachios

Put the chocolate, condensed milk, butter and salt in a heavy-based pan on a low heat and stir to melt.

Put the nuts in a strong bag – secured and bash with a rolling pin until a mixture of big and little pieces.

Add the nuts to the melted chocolate and condensed milk and stir well.

Pour into a foil tray 23cm square and smooth down the top.

Let it cool and fridge until set. Can then be cut into small pieces – I remove from the tray, cut it in half and set the other half aside. Cut into half and half again and repeat, turn and then cut into squares.

It can be frozen and eaten straight away.

My thanks – again - to Nigella Lawson's “Nigella Express” for this recipe, yet again it does exactly what it says on the condensed milk tin!

Just to prove my point, here's a photo – if you look at the one in “Nigella Express” it doesn't look much different.

On the complicated level – nil – on the taste level – oh brother, 20 out of 10!

By the way, when I said it disappears without trace there are two ways of looking at it – your nearest and dearest might want to secure the stash – I wouldn't fancy the chances of it still being in the fridge left unsupervised!

First Term Survival

… is definitely a learning curve for both the student and the parent. As a student it's probably mixed feelings – “yippee freedom - do as I please” to the realisation - nay horror, that the production of food and laundry isn't the work of the respective fairies! As a parent it's resisting the temptation to phone or message every day or even “I was just passing and thought I'd pop in to see how you were” despite the fact that it's a 150mile round trip!

If you took my advice and invested in a slow cooker, here's another vital recipe, requiring no expertise at all other than may be knowing the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon measure – might be an idea to add a set of measuring spoons to the essential kit list.

Pulled chicken

4 large chicken breasts

2 tbsp Worcester sauce

½ tsp chilli

pinch of cayenne

250ml tomato ketchup

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsps lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed or 1 tsp garlic paste

125ml maple syrup

Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker – low setting. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix until well blended.

Pour over the chicken and cook for 6 hours. Shred with two forks and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Serve the chicken and sauce in brioche buns - aka slider rolls or burger buns if preferred, with coleslaw.

Alternatively you can buy individual bags of frozen rice that can be microwaved in 2/3 minutes.

The ingredients for the marinade are easy to stash staples, some of which you've already got on your “suitable for a small space” list – even lemon juice is available in small bottles!

I've made this many times and there's plenty of marinade to cook 6 chicken breasts – great economy – leftovers can be frozen – you'll be lucky!

The fast fix ...fishfingers

This “fast fix” has been passed on many times over the years. If you are lover of salt and vinegar on fishfingers it makes them perfect for spreading on a submarine roll. The first step is the fishfingers are microwaved. See Guidance Notes below. Quick, easy and another candidate for a late night snack.

Easy to make in minutes and easier still on the budget!

The ultimate fishfinger sub

1 x submarine roll

tartare sauce or mayo

tomato ketchup

4 fishfingers

Salt and vinegar

2 x cheese slices

Assembly

Spread one half of the sub with tartare sauce or mayo and the other with ketchup.

Microwave the fishfingers, break them up, add salt and vinegar. Place on the bottom of the submarine roll, add two cheese slices, complete the sub by adding the top half – ensure you are armed with kitchen roll – devour.

Guidance Notes

You can buy fishfingers as cheaply as £1 for 10 – total

weight 250g i.e. 25g per fishfinger. There are larger

ones out there

A microwave container – without the lid – is ideal

for cooking

Based on 4 x 25g fishfingers microwave on medium

for 1 minute, then turn, repeat and then a final 1 minute

total cooking time of 3 minutes

If your fishfingers are larger then adjust your timing

accordingly at 1 minute intervals and test with a fork

to see that the fish is white and cooked thoroughly

I did try and warn you that this would not be pretty from our point of view – what we have to grasp is that this is life but not as we know it!

The submarine slob …

… with meatballs and tomato sauce

It's no coincidence that these recipes are repeated. Their usefulness knows no bounds. Check out “Hooked on cooking – the main event” for both recipes.

I appreciate that this might be rather long winded for your newly installed fledgling to want to produce but it would hit the mark for you to make at home and deliver, frozen.

The meatballs and tomato sauce are the most flexible ingredients – to explain myself :

Bag and freeze a batch of meatballs -

don't overload the bags – it's better to pull

out two smaller bags if needed than to waste

them

Do exactly the same with the tomato sauce in

small pots or sauce bags

Add a packet of spaghetti or pasta of choice

to your “staples suitable for a small space” list

I have two ideas, one for a late night snack, the other for a speedy meal.

Create a superior sub. Take a submarine roll and toast lightly then spread with the defrosted tomato sauce. Add defrosted meatballs to suit the appetite. Garnish with grated mozzarella, ordinary cheddar cheese or cheese slices as the budget allows. I'm assuming for the sake of this exercise that the ingredients are in the freezer in Halls. If preferred they can be warmed through – if they are taken straight from the freezer and defrosted thoroughly they'll be warm in any event.

Create a meal – defrost the meatballs and tomato sauce. Place both in a saucepan and heat through thoroughly whilst cooking pasta of choice. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Easy and economical for a “batch cook” and a delivery of home cooked food when the funds are beginning to run out.

Versatile me thinks!

What goes with …

… the Cheat's Chilli?

Who doesn't like a “toasted” sandwich? This “scaled down” version is the perfect accompaniment for the chilli.

Croque Soldiers

4 slices of medium sliced wholemeal bread

2 tsp Dijon mustard

**75g (3oz) Gruyere cheese (grated)

2 slices of ham

30g (1½oz) unsalted butter

Spread ½ tsp of mustard over each slice of bread.

Spread half the cheese on two slices of bread followed by the ham, remaining cheese on top. Sandwich together with the other two slices of bread.

Cut into thick soldiers – 4 per two slices of bread – in half and half again.

Heat the butter in a frying pan until foaming – fry your soldiers for 1-2 minutes on each side so that the cheese melts.

If you are making heaps of soldiers you can pop them in a pre-heated oven on a baking sheet – 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for a minute or two but it's my experience that using pieces of kitchen equipment that can be avoided is preferable – too much like hard work and complicated!!

Can't think of a downside to this “side suggestion”.

**I appreciate that Gruyere is expensive – mature cheddar cheese is just as good.